The Red Panda
"Firefox"
Habitat
Red pandas live in the cool temperate bamboo forests in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Xizang provinces in China, in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal and Bhutan, and in northern Myanmar.
Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Family: Ailurus
- Genus and Species: Ailurus fulgens
Characteristics
- Weigh between 7 and 20 pounds
- Head and Body, 20 to 26 in
- Tail, 12 to 20 in
- Related to the better known black and white giant panda
Diet
- bamboo leaves and fresh shoots
- berries
- blossoms
- bird eggs
- various plants' small leaves
- Snow Leopards prey on the red pandas
Reproduction
After a gestation of about 134 days, litters of one to four young are born. Mating season is from January to March. Young stay in the nest for about 90 days, remain close to their mother until the next mating season begins, and reach adult size at about 12 months. Adult red pandas lead solitary lives.
Endangered Status
Red pandas are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because of habitat loss. There are fewer than 10,000 adult red pandas.
Interesting Facts
• Red pandas are sometimes called “Wah” because of their distinctive cry. They are also referred to as firefox, bear-cats and lesser pandas.
• The activity level of the red panda changes throughout the year based on the temperature, feeding regimes and the presence of young.
• Red pandas can eat 45% of their body weight daily. This amounts to about 200,000 bamboo leaves every day.
• Red pandas may be active during the day, however they are mainly crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk.